1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments consistent with the principles of the invention relate to mobile computerized devices and applications for securely obtaining identifying information and preferences of users.
2. Discussion of the State of the Art
Proof of identity is an important part of online life. Most online services require log-in names and passwords to confirm a user's identify, but such methods are known to provide only weak security benefits and are inconvenient for the user. Secure passwords are hard to remember and take time to enter. As a result, weak passwords are normally chosen. A system and method that increases the security of online transactions, while reducing inconvenience to the user, would be beneficial.
Credit card purchases are a common form transaction requiring the confirmation of the consumer's identity. In present systems and methods used to make credit card purchases, the physical card and a number memorized by the card's owner represents the standard security requirement of something owned (the card) and something known (the number), making theft more difficult. But there are significant security risks associated with these systems and methods. For example, numbers are relatively easy to observe by others as they are entered via a key pad and physical cards can be cloned. Online transactions are even more susceptible to security issues because they rely on the credit card number without physical proof of ownership of the card. Hence, a system and method that increases the security of credit card transactions is beneficial to the purchaser, the seller and the card provider.
There is a growing expectation that online convenience will merge with real life such that the needs and preferences of the consumer will be known to authorized persons or service providers without having to be continually re-stated. Why shouldn't a restaurant know you are vegetarian or allergic to peanuts? Why shouldn't a clothes shop know your size and favorite color? But it is not practical to ask a customer to log-in each time they walk into a shop as they might do for a website. Hence, a system and method for automatically providing user based information options and preferences would be beneficial to both the customer and the service provider.
There are other important government functions requiring secure and convenient identification of persons. For example, governing authorities often have a legitimate need to identify and obtain information about their citizens to determine eligibility of such persons to drive or access government services. Vendors having authority to sell age-restricted goods or services (such as alcohol, or access to bars) need an efficient mechanism to identify customers below the age requirement for the goods and services they are purchasing. But the process for checking proof of eligibility is often time consuming, expensive, and inconvenient.
A system and method providing for secure and convenient identification of individuals as well as providing information for determining the eligibility and preferences of individual for certain privileges or services would be beneficial to individuals as well as to service providers and authorizing entities.